Oath Sworn Through Honor
by Insert Typical Username Here
Summary: What brings these people together is the vow they have chosen to uphold. An attempt at a novelization of what could have been Smash 4's version of the Subspace Emissary. Disclaimer: I own nothing, save for this story's idea and, obviously, original characters and locale.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Once, a long time ago, Master Hand sensed a possibility of great threat to the multiverse.  
Foreseeing this, he searched the reaches of the universe for those strong enough to overcome this evil.  
He finally gathered twelve warriors, all from different parts of the universe. A heroic handyman, a noble knight, a great hunter, a happy-go-lucky warrior, an electromagnetic rodent, an adventurous dinosaur, a brutal primate, an ace pilot, a charismatic racer, a quirky child, a melodic fairy and an overshadowed sibling: all were called by the Hand to dispatch this evil.  
But first, he tested their skills. Each had to overcome a series of trials, and at the end, a shadow of Hand's own power. They were then set to fight each other in a tournament, to see how they would work against others of their caliber. But the summoned fighters were not in their position without a reason. They figured out the true mastermind behind the tournament, and defeated Master Hand, and afterwards gleaned the information of their position. Thus, the end of Super Smash Brothers: an alliance is formed to combat the evil threats to the universe: threats that our heroes, unable to combat it by themselves, would conquer it

Later on, The Mad Left once again fell into insanity. Master Hand sought once again for the heroes of whom he had found earlier. This time, he summoned extra heroes, for the threat had grown beyond his expectation. This time, however, his actions would not go unnoticed. To distract the gods' eyes from his machinations, Master Hand created trophies of the fighters to fight in a second Smash Brothers Tournament, crafted from the memories of the now-called "Smashers" themselves. With the tournament taking up most of the gods' attentions, save the Divine Creator and several others, Master Hand ensured the progress of the Smashers' adventures (Adventure). However, their progress was impeded by several of Crazy's own summons, the great rivals or enemies of the Smashers: The King of Evil, the King of the Koopas, the Genetic Pokemon, and some other mind-controlled individuals. However, once again our heroes were able to overcome Crazy's insanity, and the Smash roster grew significantly.

The threat Master Hand felt at first had now been realized. An ancient chaotic entity, known to many as Taboo, had been set free from his prison in Tartarus. His goal: to turn all he touched into Subspace, the realm he had dominion over. For a third time Master Hand gathered the Smashers, whilst Crazy summoned new oddities. But eventually, Master Hand was captured and enslaved by Tabuu, on the eve of the Smash Brothers Tournament, once again used to distract the gods from interfering with the Smashers' goals. The Smashers once more set off on a grand quest, filled with many trials and tribulations: the Subspace Emissary. The threat was vanquished, Tabuu defeated and resealed, and peace returned to the land.

Now, throughout all of these three incidents, the events had been made known to various chroniclers and historians throughout the universe, in order to preserve the heroes' great deeds. However, on one planet from which several Smashers hailed, a group of people decided to preserve the Smashers' deeds through a very curious machination: the Video Game. This group, known already for creating games based on the historical adventures of various heroes of the universe, even if said games deviated from the actual events in any way for various reasons, preserved the essential core of the three incidents.

Now, Master Hand gathers to him once more heroes, this time going to reaches he's never gone before: the cybernetic future of 200X, the planet where rotund, yellow aliens called home, and, possibly, a land trapped in its own dimension, recently freed: a land of two giants, one of stone and the other metal. Many may believe this next Tournament, the Fourth, to be a mere game. Most gods certainly see it as such: simple entertainment. But behind the scenes, brave warriors fight for the lives of all who read this.

They came out of the dark, like monsters in the night. Master Hand had been expecting them-he did, after all, foresee the events that were to happen. So it came as no surprise that the Subspace Army was once again knocking at his front door. The abnormally-sized glove quickly moved into action—he took down what grunts he could with as little effort as possible, and put more effort into the ones that required, well, more effort. However, Hand knew that it was not time for him to fight full-on yet, so, at an opportune time, he retreated.

Up, up, up the ever-winding staircase he flew, the sounds of the eldritch creatures behind him steadily growing fainter. At long last, he reached the Pinnacle. One lengthy incantation, glowing magic circle, and arcane spell later, Hand finally relaxed. He had done his deed; they would arrive. For they had always possessed a power far greater than he had ever hoped to have, mere servant to the gods he was. And thus when the Subspace Army arrived at the Pinnacle, Master Hand did not resist. He allowed himself to be led away—all was as planned.

Until he saw what awaited him outside of his residence.

"It cannot be!" quoth Hand in astonishment.

"Oh, but it is." the mocking answer came back to him. "Everything that you've feared, everything you've tried so hard to prevent—naught but futility. Isn't it wonderful? This despair, this anguish, this fear . . . surely even you can appreciate the situation you're in."

Hand did not answer. His mind was whirring, planning, calculating, evaluating. An unforeseen hitch, an unknown outlier—how would this throw off his plans, and to what extent?

"Thinking of ways to escape? Of trying to force your way out of this?" the mocking voice returned. "I can see everything that you're thinking. It's not of any use." A smirk was heard through the tone. "You may as well give up now." A beat. "I mean, you already did, that's why you're here. Just because your spell went off doesn't mean that it's going to do you any good. I already know how to defeat each and every one of them," the voice spat poison, "for did you think that your actions went unnoticed? Fool. Just a lowly slave to the gods. You're their dog, is all you are."

Just then, a beam of light shone from the top of the tower. Brilliant ivory in color, it reached on for the heavens, stopping only at the apex of the sky, converging into a blinding orb of magical power, engraved in it an off-center cross. On the ground, the Subspace Army stirred restlessly and nervously. They knew what that symbol meant.

"So it's begun," the voice said, "and it's too late for you to do anything about it. It is impossible."

And then Hand snapped. Not his sanity, not his voice, but his fingers. And he called out in a clear, strong voice:

"Rise, heroes of might! Awaken, legendary powers! Burn bright, champion's spirits! I, the servant of the gods, the Right Hand of Order, call upon thee to combat this mighty threat, that the universe might once more know peace!"

The voice cackled. "Fool! I've already said it's no use!"

A magic circle opened up under Hand. Out of it shot chains of golden light, at once piercing the great glove and wrapping around it.

"What new trickery is this?" screeched the voice.

"I sacrifice myself, heroes, for you!" Hand called out. "New heroes, I ask for your aid. O Great Warrior who seeks his purpose! O Brave Knight with the Courage of a Storm! O Illusionary Maiden who keeps the Realm of Fantasy! O Great Magician—"

"Enough!" screeched the voice. "Fools! Stop him!"

But it was too late. The moment the Subspace Army moved, the ball of light in the sky shattered. Beams of light flew every which way across the heavens, towards destinations unknown.

And the chains dragged Master Hand into the magic circle beneath him, and disappeared.

All that was left of the scene was the Subspace Army and the mysterious outlier. Without a word, they vanished into the shadows once more.

Across the multiverse, the heroes woke to action. This was their time: the time to do the duties that they had sworn to do.

_The common worker springs up with the energy of youth._

_The legendary hero raises his sword to the heavens._

_The hunter readies her mighty arsenal._

_The devourer of stars awakens from his slumber._

_The mighty pilot races to his destination._

_The goddess' servant takes flight in the vast blue._

_The fearsome beast begins his quest._

_The partner of man trembles with excitement._

_And, as one, they turned towards glory._

_Insert Typical Username Here_ presents:

A Smash Brothers Fanfiction

_Oath Sworn Through Honor_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Heir to the Monado

Shulk straightened and brushed the blonde mess he claimed to be hair out of his eyes. "All right, everything's all packed!" he thought out lout to no-one in particular. "I've got my extra clothes, the Mobile Furnace, a week's worth of food, some tools, and my notebooks. That should be enough until I get to my destination."

Fiora peeked her head into the apartment-sized lab where Shulk called home. "Shulk, are you ready? We're all set."

"Almost done, Fiora," Shulk swung his bag over his shoulder. He strode over to the device near the back of the room that once held the Monado, the sword that he had previously used. Due to certain circumstances, he relinquished it and thus no longer had it. In its stead he used a replica forged by a friend. While not quite the same, it got the job done. Shulk gazed at the Replica Monado for a brief second, before grabbing it by the hilt and slinging it onto his back. Instantly, the sword attatched itself to an ether brace he wore on his back, also used to hold the Monado on his previous journey.

"Well then, let's be off," Fiora said, with a relative amount of patience, "I mean, Dunban and Riki are waiting for you."

"Right," Shulk nodded. He stepped towards the hall and turned around, taking one last look at his lab. "You know, I'm going to miss this place."

"Relax, Shulk," Fiora said with a smile as she put her hand on his shoulder. "It's not like you're going out on a journey to avenge anyone. You're attending a simple conference in the Colony on Shoulder Isle."

"I know, I know," he scratched the back of his neck. "It's just that the last time I left the Colony for an extended period of time . . ."

"Will you two stop dawdling and get a move on?!" shouted Reyn from the building entrance. "We haven't got all day!"

With one last look around his beloved laboratory, Shulk headed out into the Military District where his friends were waiting for him, with Fiora in tow. They passed quickly caught up to Reyn who was already walking away towards the District's entrance.

"Shulk, what are you doing?" Reyn shook his head. "You know it won't be good if you're late. Dunban and Riki are already at the Colony enrance."

"Reyn, you're surprisingly on the ball today," Shulk noticed with an air of bemusement.

Reyn shrugged. "If I let you be late, Sharla would have my hide," he said. "Plus, I wouldn't want you to be late for the big event."

The trio of friends quickly made their way through the market, the second-largest are of the Colony, only losing to the Resiential District. They were treated to a variety of greetings and salutations from the Colonists.

"It sure is nice being known by everyone, ain't it?" Reyn grinned.

Shulk sighed. "Reyn, everyone knew us before our journey. Everyone knows everyone in a small Colony like this."

"Oh, right."

At last, the group made it to Fiora's house. Located near the front of the colony, it was several minutes' walk away from the Market. It was here that Fiora lived with her brother, Dunban, who was essentially the hero of the Colony for his involvement in the Battle of Sword Valley a few years prior. Standing outside were none other than Dunban himself, from whom Shulk had learned the art of the sword from, and the current Heropon, the Nopon Riki. How Riki kept on becoming the Heropon he refused to tell, but Shulk suspected it had something to do with the fact that being Heropon kept Riki out of Frontier Villiage, much to the relief of many of the villiagers.

"Shulk! You late!" the Nopon chided.

"I know, I know," Shulk replied, a little out of breath from having run clear across the Colony in several minutes—a feat not possible unless for some high-grade Speed Gems. When he finally caught his breath, he straightened and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "Dunban, Riki, I'm sorry for being late. There was some last-minute things I had to do before I was finished."

Dunband gave a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. You're here now." He turned to face the group. "Well, I suppose it's time to say goodbye. Reyn, Fiora, I'll see you soon."

"Huh? They're not coming with us?" Shulk looked at his close friends quizzically.

"Nah, Shulk. Didn't I tell you before? I've got to help out Vangarre with the Millitary. And Fiora had to do . . . something, I forget," Reyn scratched his stomach.

"Reyn, you idiot. I'm helping you! I _just told_ you that!" Fiora shook her head.

"Oh, right."

Fiora turned to Shulk and gave an apologetic look. "Sorry, Shulk. I thought we told you."

Shulk frowned. "That's odd. I remember it _now_, but not before. Huh."

"We can discuss Shulk's memory lapses later. However, we need to get moving right now," Dunban said, looking at the sky.

The two groups quickly embraced, with Reyn and Riki once again engaging in a brief good-natured tussle. Well, as good-natured as those two could get. As such, Shulk, Dunban and Riki headed up the path towards Tephra Cave. Previously, you could only get to Tephra Cave from Outlook Park or swimming from the beach, but a last years' events had changed that, and now there was a path straight to Tephra Cave, connecting Colony Nine to the newly-formed Leg Isle, formerly the Bionis' Leg. After the occurrences of Shulk's journey, the Bionis had sunk into the sea. Islands had formed, similar to how the downed Fallen Arm had been. Many of these landmasses were arranged in a conveniently similar manner to the locations they possessed when the said continent was still standing, and were accordingly named for the parts of the Bionis they had been—the Bionis' Foot was named Foot Isle, the Leg was Leg Isle, and such. Out of force of habit, however, much of the Homs still called their homes their previous names. It was all rather confusing.

It was across these landmass that Shulk, Dunban, and Riki now traveled, hoping to reach Colony 2 on what was once the Bionis' Left Shoulder. A day had passed, and the party was just making its way to what was once the Knee. They still had the vast Gaur Plains to travel through, a monumental several-day journey of uphill hiking—not to mention the monsters that still called the Plains their home would still attack if they felt it necessary. They had already been assaulted by an Arachno Queen, again, in a nostalgically similar way to the journey. However, this time, it took noticeably less effort to defeat it (her?) this time.

Being as strong as the most powerful creature in the world tends to do that.

It was around midday when they reached the Kamos Guidepost. Having been around that area several times, the group was going to continue as normal, until Shulk noticed something strangely familiar. He stopped and paused, his chin resting on his hand.

"Shulk?" asked Dunban, shifting into a more comfortable stance.

"I sense something. A presence I've not felt since . . ." Shulk furrowed his brow.

"Last year, right?" Dunban's hand casually moved toward his sword hilt.

"Riki know! Riki also feel person!" the Nopon chimed in.

"But this feel . . ." Shulk muttered. "It feels like—"

"Both familiar and comforting?" an odd voice came out of the blue. Shulk's hand flew to the Monado Replica's handle, and Dunban's grip tightened. Riki merely fell over.

"Relax, Shulk. I mean you no harm." The voice's owner stepped out from behind the Kamos Guidepost. Shulk's eyes widened in response as his hand fell to his side.

"Alvis!" Shulk exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to give you a bit of unfortunate news," Alvis said seriously. "Unfortunately, plans have changed. Dunban, I'm afraid that you'll need to give him the letter now."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shulk turned to face his friend.

Dunban sighed and reached into his back pocket and pulled out a letter with an odd cross-shaped stamp upon it. "I was supposed to give this to you at the end of the meeting. I don't know what it's for, but from what I can gather it's some sort of invitation to a tournament."

Shulk accepted the letter and smoothly opened it. Bright blue eyes rapidly twitched from left to right, quickly taking in all that the letter had to offer. "You were right. It's some kind of . . . Smash Brothers? tournament. But . . . I don't understand. What's this about the 'Universe's greatest fighters'? And this right here. I can't make out what it says. And for this part, do I have to—"

Alvis was quick to interrupt. "Shulk. There is much that you do not know. But I promise, you will find out in due time."

Shulk frowned. "I don't see why I should go. I mean, I'm not _that_ good. Dunban's a better swordsman than me. I mean, all I have going for me is my visions—which, for some reason, I haven't been getting a lot of recently."

Alvis snapped, and an ethereal circle appeared, engraved with the same symbol as the letter. "This will take you to where you need to be."

"All right," Shulk adjusted his shoulder strap as he stepped into the circle. "Dunban, Riki, let's go."

Riki, who had been on the ground this entire time, hopped up and started waddling over to the circle, stopping when Alvis stuck out his hand.

The reason you must go, Shulk," Alvis began, "is for that if you do not, your entire world will face destruction once again."

A sigh. "Coming from you, I don't suppose I have a choice," Shulk said. "So, how do I get to this place?"

"Shulk, your friends will join you soon," Alvis said, "but you must go on ahead."

"Don't worry, Shulk." Dunban cracked a smirk. "I'm pretty sure that RIki and I can handle anything Colony 2 throws at us. Besides, Melia's joining us later on."

"Shulk do adopted Daddypon proud!" Riki saluted dramatically.

"Okay then." Shulk closed his eyes. "Let's do this."

The glowing disc began to shine further, its light reaching up beyond the clouds. Just before the light became unbearable, Alvis tossed Shulk a large, red object that, oddly, Shulk didn't see Alvis carrying beforehand.

"You'll need this for what you're doing," Alvis said in the same smooth voice he always had.

"Alvis . . ." Shulk stared at the object in amazement. "But this is—"

"Fear not, Shulk. This one is entirely your own, and no other's."

And then the ethereal ring burst into a pillar of light, taking Shulk to destinations unkown.

"I'll see you again, when it's time," Alvis said to the two left, turning and wandering off to parts unknown.

With nary a word, the duo once again headed off towards the Isle that was once home to the Giants.

Back on Colony 9, the pillar was visible to all. Many wondered what it meant, some comparing it to the lantern incident from a while back. Reyn and Fiora, however, merely stared.  
"Good luck, Shulk," Reyn said before turning back to his work.

"Please, Shulk . . . be safe." Fiora whispered as she closed her eyes.

All the way in Colony 6, a certain medic gazed upon the vanishing portal with somber eyes. However, hearing the call of her brother, she turned away: for a healer's work is never done.

As the light faded, Melia Antiqua clutched her hands over her chest. With nary a sound, she stared off into the blue yonder.

On one of the peaks of Valak Mountain, in what was known as the Three Sages Summit, the mighty Avalanche Abaasy stirred. _Soon_, it thought. _Soon._

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

For those of you that don't know, this is the sound of pure, unadulterated fear.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

This is also the sound of a hot-blooded warrior charging into battle.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

However, right now this is the sound of a certain red-clad man plummeting from a ridiculous height.

"OH MY BIONIS WHY AM I FALLING!?" Shulk screamed to no-one in particular.

He then frowned. "Wait, given the context of that statement, wouldn't 'Oh my Mechonis' be more appropriate?" He managed to cross his arm over his chest and place his hand in his chin in his trademark "thinking pose." "Furthermore, since the Mechonis itself isn't _mine_, per say, I should say something like 'Mighty' or 'Great and Terrible.' Added the context of which we learned last year," here Shulk entered into a crossed-leg sitting position, hand still on his chin, "I should think about a different adjective, such as . . ."

While Shulk continued to muse, the ground steadily sped up. After all, the ground didn't particularly care what kind of oath Shulk swore by. However, it supposed that the trees and plants probably would.

Plants are strange that way.

Shulk, suddenly noticing the rapidly-approaching terra-forma, quickly reached behind him to the object that was strapped to his back.

And, for the first time in over a year, the Monado activated.

Shulk swung the Monado mightily. Its laser-like blade took on a yellow hue, and the symbol in the sword's circle changed. A sphere of brilliant golden energy surrounded Shulk, a mesh of powerful hexagonal ether plates. Shulk completed his spin, and then swung around once more. The ethereal sword turned red this time, and the symbol once again changed. This time, a ruby orb, similar to the golden one that had formed seconds prior, materialized.

And not a moment too soon. As Shulk swiftly reattached the Monado to his back, he barely had time to brace himself before he impacted.

Like a comet from the heavens sent to ruin someone's day, Shulk hit the ground with the force of a, well, comet. The resounding _boom_ shook the entire area, defiling a once-pristine field. The crater was, strangely, not that large-its size was approximately that of the double barrier Shulk put up. Such a strange circumstance could either be attributed to the force of the falling object being directly transferred to the ground, not spreading outwards but downwards. It could also be explained by the strange composition of the soil of the ground. However, as far as Shulk was concerned, he was just glad he wasn't dead. He was of the opinion that dying was a most unpleasant experience.

That, and he didn't think physics worked like that.

Nevertheless, Shulk decided that it would be best to leave the crater before his Shield and Armor deactivated. He knew that they stayed active for an absurdly long time, but he didn't know if they caused friction enough for burns in the crater he was currently in. He didn't even know if it caused friction in the first place. However, he wasn't willing to find out. He quickly bent the ether around him so that the shields formed a sort of bodysuit around him, and he started to climb up. Very quickly, he noticed just how deep he went. This would be a long climb.

He made it to the top as soon as his shields started to dissipate. Shulk adjusted his miraculously-still-intact bag and continued on his way. There was a path not too far from where he had landed. Additionally, there was a signpost signaling that there was a city not too far from there. Knowing his luck, he'd know what to do the first city he'd come to. Trouble had a weird way of following him like that.

As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the strange occurrences that he had just experienced. _Why didn't I receive a vision of that landing? Why haven't I been getting that many visions lately? Also, why did I suddenly lose focus on the situation at hand? _

He shook his head. _Man, I've been out of it for the past couple of days. I've been kinda funky ever since I had that dream about that weird white glove. Or was it a vision? I dunno._ He stared straight ahead. _I'll figure that out later. Right now, I have to get to that town. I'll probably find something there. Maybe it will be another Colony. Or maybe it will be some sort of village. _He felt his spirits lighten a bit. _I'm exploring a part of Bionis that I've never been to before! How exciting!_

Shulk strode on, deep in his thoughts, unaware that he was no-where near home like he thought he was. And all the while, cruel eyes watched him—waiting patiently for their chance to strike.

Author's Note: Greetings and salutations, dear readers. It's been a bit, hasn't it? One thing I'd like to point out is that as I've already said, and will say again, this series contains blatant unmarked spoilers. So, use digression.

Now, as for the Fiora/Shulk deal: Here, they ain't a couple. Best friends, but dating didn't really work out for them.

Now, as you may have guessed, in this fic I'm going to use my own personal headcanons that are markedly different from many peoples'. Whether or not I expand upon these headcanons in other sources is up for a future me to decide.

Until next time, everyone.


End file.
